White Lines
by strmlng
Summary: He had made it a point to never interact with the Weasleys if possible, knowing the history his relatives had with all their parents. And for five full years, he had succeeded. He never bothered them and they never gave him trouble. Or noticed him really. This all came crashing to a head as Rose Weasley made eye contact with him in the Transfiguration classroom that morning.
1. Chapter 1

"Damn it!" Scorpius Malfoy swore under his breath as he managed to regain his balance. The burly seventh year Ravenclaw, who had purposely bumped him, merely sneered, as if daring Scorpius to retaliate. But they both knew better. Scorpius resigned himself to scowling at said seventh year (who he recognized as one of the Ravenclaw beaters) before returning his gaze to the floor as he attempted to get through the crowded hallway as quickly as possible.

With relief, he reached the Transfiguration classroom without any other incidents above a few pointed glares. This meant he had been able to make it to class with time to spare, unlike so many other occasions when he had to sprint to make up for time wasted from other students trying to pick a fight.

He slid into an empty desk towards the back on the Slytherin side of the classroom and hunched himself over his completed essay, scanning it once again to check for errors. The ambient noise of the room rose gradually, yet it seemed to wash over Scorpius, as if he was protected by an invisible bubble he had stooped himself into.

Then, as Professor Blackhurst walked to the front of the class, Scorpius automatically snapped to attention, shifting his essay to the side and getting his quill ready to take notes.

He diligently took careful notes, listening determinedly to Professor Blackhurst explain the theory and history of human transfiguration. Scorpius looked up from his parchment notebook a couple of times (only to copy down the diagrams on the blackboard), but otherwise he kept his gaze fixedly on what was in his immediate vicinity.

"Miss. Weasley! Mr. Potter!"

Scorpius was jolted out of his familiar reverie as he looked at something besides his notes and the blackboard for the first time in the lesson. He saw Rose Weasley and Albus Potter, flushing guiltily, hastily trying to compose their faces into those of rapt attention. Scorpius snorted quietly to himself before deciding to take advantage of the pause in the lecture to perfect his copied-down drawings of important wand movements. He could still hear Professor Blackhurst's stern scolding of the two Gryffindor sixth years.

"Since you two seem to think you don't need to pay attention, why don't you tell me what Galdwing said about the limitation of spell-induced human transfiguration in comparison to animagus transformations?" asked Blackhurst, raising her eyebrow as she stared Potter and Weasley.

Scorpius knew the answer. He had written it down from the lecture just a minute ago, but had also read about it the other week. He looked over at the two again to see if either of them knew, although he wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.

Sure enough, Potter shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable and ashamed. However, Weasley, her face still slightly red, stared determinedly back at Blackhurst, as she said calmly, "Galdwing stated that while both have significant limits, spell-induced transfiguration have more complex ones as the human body needs to adjust to the new transformation each time as the transformation can vary in effect, type, and extent. Animagus transformations do not have these limits as the subject's body does not need to adapt for each transformation. The subject's body in fact grows more in tune with said transformation because the subject develops a more concrete connection with their animal form as it is a consistent and stable form every time."

Blackhurst looking begrudgingly impressed as she tightened her lips. Scorpius could swear he saw a hint of amusement in her face as she said, "Indeed. In other circumstances, that would've merited 10 points for Gryffindor. So pay better attention in the future, especially you Mr. Potter."

Potter sputtered somewhat indignantly as Blackhurst returned to her lecture. Scorpius saw Weasley roll her eyes at Potter's embarrassment before elbowing him to pick up his quill for notes.

At that moment, Weasley quickly swung her gaze around the room, as if making sure people had stopped staring at her and Potter. He guessed she was good at detecting whether others were gawking at her or not, seeing as who her parents and uncles were. This thought had distracted him momentarily so that when her blue eyes met his, he was unprepared to react in his usual manner.

For the past six years, he had steadfastly avoided the Weasley/Potter clan. When he had first started Hogwarts, most of them had already started with the oldest of the cousins as a seventh year already. They dominated the Gryffindor house, Quidditch team, and dining table in the Great Hall. Ignoring them was a formidable task, but Scorpius had been up for it.

Growing up, his parents had always been just his parents. Little things he had noticed back then, such as how his father's jaw tightened when they walked through Diagon Alley and how his parents disliked going to Malfoy Manor so much (they only went to visit Scorpius' grandparents), had seemed inconsequential and not worth much thought.

When he turned ten however, the three of them had gone on one of their rare outings for dinner. They were in a new Wizarding restaurant and as Scorpius had sat there, he noticed that his father looked incredibly uncomfortable and that his mother seemed to be acting more affectionate to his father than usual. Not that she wasn't an affectionate person, but she seemed to be trying to comfort and reassure his father as she grasped his hand and whispered in his ear. Scorpius, trying to learn why his parents were acting like this, looked around the busy restaurant.

He saw their waitress staring at them as she talked to her fellow waiter. He saw those at the tables nearest them giving his father scathing looks as the men fingered their wands. He saw two little kids jabbering to their parents and pointing at his family.

And for the first time, Scorpius noticed that his family was different.

When they got back to home, Draco had walked straight into his office and shut the door. Astoria sighed and turned to him.

"I'm sorry Scorpius, but I'm going to make sure Dad's okay, alright?" she asked gently.

He nodded, knowing his Dad was upset about the dinner.

"Thanks love," she said, kissing him on the cheek before walking to the office. He heard her knock and open the door, softly calling his father's name before she entered.

Later that night, his father walked into his room. Instead of the usual light-hearted good night and joking, Draco had had a serious and sad demeanor about him. Before Scopius could ask about it, Draco said, "There are some things I have to tell you, Scorpius. Things about how I grew up and who your grandparents were. And what happened during the war. I know you'll have a lot of questions, but please don't ask them until I'm done."

Then his father proceeded to tell him about the family's involvement and support for Lord Voldemort in both wizarding wars. When he was finished, his father seemed scared of meeting his gaze as he said somewhat nervously and hurridely, "I understand if you are angry with me or ashamed, but I want you to know that I don't believe those things anymore. I know what I did was wrong and I regret it. But I don't regret having you or your mother, even though you two deserve much better than the lives you live because of me."

At the time, he hadn't fully understood what his father meant with that last sentence. Until he went to Hogwarts. The bullying was bearable but still difficult to deal with every day as it wore on. Even the other Slytherins seemed slightly wary of him, unsure of what to make of him. The other houses never hid their contempt for him and his family very well. He had therefore tried to keep to himself most of the time.

And he had made it a point to never interact with the Weasleys if possible, knowing the history his relatives had with all their parents. And for five full years, he had succeeded. He never bothered them and they never gave him trouble. Or noticed him really.

This all came crashing to a head as Rose Weasley made eye contact with him in the Transfiguration classroom that morning. In situations like this, he would've have quickly looked away and pretended to be preoccupied with something else.

However, she had caught him by surprise and he could do nothing but gaze stupidly back at her with a blank look on his face.

_Bloody hell. _He probably looked like an idiot.

She looked back at him, slightly shocked but didn't look away either. She narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she were examining him.

Indignation and anger erupted in him.

Who was she to be scrutinizing him like that? It wasn't like he had been making fun of her or checking out her arse. He'd never given her or her family any grief or any reason to pay him any mind. And he preferred it that way. And now she was looking at him so intently and he didn't know what that look meant for him. Now he was terrified that everything would change. The taunts and bullying he had had to deal with were bad enough. He did not want to know what the Weasleys and Potters would do to him if they decided he needed attending to.

In retaliation and anger, he stared right back at her, swooping over her face as unflinchingly as he dared. It hit him then that this was the first time he had _really _looked at her past a cursory glance. He had already known she had curly, reddish hair and was of average height, but that was it. But now, given the opportunity, he noticed the little things that he hadn't before.

Her eyes were wide and bright blue, offset by dark lashes. She had freckles indiscriminately scattered across her face, which was neither exceptionally fair nor tan. There wasn't much to say about her nose, other than the fact that it seemed normal enough. Her mouth was currently pursed in a contemplative, lopsided way. Her hair, he realized, was not red. But more of a dark, reddish brown. Auburn, he guessed it was called. It fell in lazy waves around her oval face. He drew his gaze back, to look at her face in its entirety after scrutinizing its individual parts. Her cobalt eyes were still focused on his greenish grey ones. Although he hadn't noticed before, he was hit by the realization that Rose Weasley was a bit of a looker.

She wasn't overwhelmingly beautiful, but she was pretty. Definitely someone worth a second look. And now part of him regretted never giving her a second look, even if it had been done to avoid getting beat up by her male cousins or creatively hexed by the female ones.

Suddenly, with a bolt of fear and frustration igniting through him, he realized that he was in the middle of class and, instead of paying attention, he had been blatantly looking at Rose Weasley, something he had striven to avoid at all costs. Cursing himself for screwing up so badly, he returned his gaze to his neglected notes and readjusted his sitting. His arse was getting sore.

— — —

In a desperate effort to fix his mistake in Transfiguration, Scorpius put a supreme amount of work into not looking at Rose Weasley, not walking close to Rose Weasley, not even acknowledging Rose Weasley. And by extension, not acknowledging her vast family. It was bloody hard.

The only downside to this was that he still didn't know what she had meant by staring back at him in class. And he wasn't stupid to think that she hadn't noticed his staring in turn, so he was also left in the dark on what she thought he had been doing. Was she offended? Angry? Ashamed of being looked at so intently by a Malfoy? Seeking revenge right now by plotting against him with her older cousins James Potter and Fred Weasley? The two seventh years were not only on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, but also were incredibly renown for their expertise in pranking and catastrophe. _Shit_. He was screwed.

He sat near the end of the Slytherin table, discreetly filling his plate with dinner. Damian Nott, his cousin, also a sixth year Slytherin, sat next to him. They nodded at each other before returning their attentions to their dinner plates and eating more or less in silence.

The two were close and similar in personality: polite and smart, but quiet and thoughtful- preferring the background rather than the spotlight (in the similar vein as Damian's father during his Hogwarts days and in complete contrast to how Scorpius' had been). They didn't talk much. Not because they couldn't find anything to talk about, but because they didn't need to talk to understand each other or appreciate one another's company. Unfortunately, now that they were in N.E.W.T. level courses, they weren't necessarily taking the same subjects anymore. Damian wanted to be a potioneer like his father and so had dropped Transfiguration and the other irrelevant classes. This meant more time alone for the both of them, but it hardly mattered as they never minded.

The comfortable and companionable silence was broken, however, when Damian spoke up abruptly.

"Why is Rose Weasley looking over here?"

Scorpius huffed as he kept his head down, resolved to not look over at the Gryffindor table.

"No idea," he answered, shoveling potatoes down his throat in an effort to avoid the conversation from continuing. Unfortunately, his cousin did not oblige him.

"She's looking at you like she's confused. Did something happen- oh shit. Now Fred Weasley noticed- he's looking over here too. Won't be long before the whole damn Weasley clan is staring at us. The hell you do to them today?" Damian muttered as he switched from glancing at his food to glancing at the Weasleys.

"_Nothing_," said Scorpius, seething. Fuck. His long-cherished under-the-radar existence was long gone. And all because Rose Weasley and Albus Potter hadn't been listening properly in Transfiguration.

"Doesn't seem like nothing. James Potter will strain his neck if he keeps turning to look over here," said Damian dryly.

"For fuck's sake," Scorpius expelled as he slammed his fork down. "Potter and Weasley were caught talking during Transfiguration. I looked over at them and made eye contact with Rose Weasley. That's it."

"That's it?" Damian asked, his eyebrow raised. "What kind of eye contact was this? Were you staring at her chest or some-"

"No!" said Scorpius indignantly, his cheeks going red. "Of course not!"

"Calm down, prude. I'm only taking the piss," snorted Damian, returning to his food. "But next time, you might want to watch what kind of 'eye contact' you're making with little Miss Weasley if you don't want her entire family to stare at you every mealtime."

Scorpius gritted his teeth, his hands by his sides as he glared at his half-eaten dinner.

"Is she still looking?" he asked quietly.

Damian smirked. "No- she's talking to her brother I think. Why? Do you want her to be looking at you?"

Scorpius blushed. "No, I just want to eat my bloody dinner in peace," he muttered.

He chanced a surreptitious glance at her under his dirty blonde hair.

She was laughing good-naturedly at her younger brother, teasing him about something, only to have him grin wickedly and ruffle her hair in retribution, her curls becoming slightly wild from the effect. She playfully slapped his arm before turning around and whispering something in the youngest Potter's ear with a smile.

She left her hair the way it was.

That was when Scorpius realized that Rose Weasley fascinated him.


	2. Chapter 2

The depressing thing was that being intrigued by the daughter of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger could do him no good. Unless he had a strong desire to be hexed off his arse.

So instead, after his startling revelation, he decided it was in his best interest to go on with his life as usual. Just be politely removed from the mainstream of Hogwarts social life, continue studying for his high marks, prepare for life after school, and, of course, pretend Rose Weasley did not exist.

Luck was not in his favor however. Damian seemed to be wildly entertained by slyly and smoothly slipping in Rose's name randomly into conversation only for Scorpius either to blush or fumble whatever he was holding.

And now, more than once, Scorpius felt Rose's gaze upon him at random points during the days, whether in class, the Great Hall, or between lessons. She never looked for very long, but still it bothered him. How could he possibly ignore her when she wouldn't let him?

The most infuriating thing was that she never did anything beyond that. She just continued to look over at him every once in a while, with that now familiar twist to her lips and her head cocked slightly to the side as she observed him.

On Sunday afternoon, Scorpius found himself walking the grounds of Hogwarts in an attempt to clear his head and take a break from his essays. As a cool November breeze swished through his hair, he dipped his face further into his green and silver scarf and loped past the pathway leading down to the Quidditch pitch.

His precious solitude was interrupted when he heard shouting coming from the pitch to his right.

"Piss off!" a recognizable, female voice shouted.

In surprise, he turned his head to see Rose Weasley huffily making her way up the path towards him with her broomstick perched over her shoulder. She was clearly annoyed as she muttered what he thought sounded like "wankers" under her breath before she saw him standing in her way.

"Oh- hi," she said when she noticed him. "What is it about family members that makes you want to punch them in the face sometimes?" she asked, scowling back at the pitch.

He blinked. "Uh...what?"

She turned back towards the castle and began stalking back. He found himself automatically falling into stride next to her.

"Why is it that the people you're supposed love most are the people you sometimes can barely stand? I swear— if Fred and James make one more crack about how I accidently hexed my hair green last night, I'll make sure Professor McGonagall knows it was them that blew up the toilets in the girls' lavatory last month. She'll have no problem telling their mums... It's been a while since I've seen Aunt Ginny's Bat Bogey hex anyways," she finished with a slightly dreamy expression on her face.

"You turned your hair green?" he asked before he could help himself.

She looked at him with amusement. "That whole bloody speech about my tossers for cousins and you ask about my hair?"

He blushed, turning his gaze determinedly forward again.

She laughed lightly, continuing to stride towards the castle. "I was practicing those new spells for Transfiguration. I was supposed to be turning my eyebrow green but I overshot it a bit and turned all my hair this horrid, lurid green color that I couldn't get rid of for almost 2 hours. And of course, my family gave me hell for it. Hugo has pictures that I still need to kick his arse for."

Scorpius stayed silent, desperate to escape from her presence once they arrived back indoors. This attraction and curiosity he had for her seemed to be rattling restlessly inside his stomach as he frantically tried to suppress it, all while keeping his face a cool, collected mask of indifference.

After she seemed to realize that he wasn't going to say anything, she talked on.

"I mean...seriously. It's not as if they all haven't had big mess-ups when learning new spells. Fred once accidently melted a Gryffindor armchair and I spent an hour reading up on the right countercurse to help him set it right. But if little Rosie screws up, it's a bloody party. I bet you never have to deal with stuff like this. You've probably never felt the urge to punch someone in your family in the face, have you?"

A couple seconds too late, he realized she had asked a question and was expecting a response. He cleared his throat before asking, in an effort to deflect the conversation from him, "You don't like having a big family?"

"Oh no, I do. It's great- we're all really close. But having so many cousins is just having that many more people who can drive you crazy and know they can get away with it. Plus I'm one of the younger ones so I'm easy to tease or baby. But if any of them piss me off, I always make sure to get back at them properly. Uncle Harry thinks I could've been in Slytherin. I'll never forget my dad's face when he said that," she laughed at the memory. She turned to look at him again.

"Do you have any siblings?" she asked, looking genuinely curious.

"No," he answered automatically. The question made him think of that night when he was five and his parents had returned from St. Mungo's looking so sad.

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "I guess that's nice- probably means you're really close with your mum and dad then?"

He froze. She too seemed to realize that she had crossed some unseen yet understood line. Talking casually about how annoying her cousins were was fine because he could delude himself into imagining for a short period of time that his family and hers had no connection at all. But bringing up his father crushed the illusion, however feeble it had been. For the first time, she looked nervous. The easygoing and slightly mischievous manner with which she carried herself evaporated as she halted next to him. She bit her lip, quickly looking up at him to see his stony face before glancing away again.

In complete contrast to how she had handled herself under Professor Blackhurst's scolding, she looked at a loss for what to say.

What felt like an hour later, she opened her mouth.

"Look—"

He found himself interrupting her. In the moment before she finished her sentence, he was filled with dread at the thought of receiving her pity. He now knew, based on how she had so easily talked to him (or talked at him rather), that she wasn't disgusted with him. But he did not want to hear a speech soaked in nauseating sympathy about who his family was and how terrible it must be growing up under such a far-reaching and repressive shadow. It pissed him off to hear people tell him that– he knew it already first hand. And the few people who said it to him (they were usually acquaintances of his parents) were only a bitter reminder of the fact. He knew how much of the Malfoy name rested on his shoulders, as the only heir and the only hope for redemption. This epically heavy responsibility clashed with the oppressive circumstances he had found himself surrounded by once at Hogwarts. He was supposed to prove that a Malfoy could do good, but the world wouldn't let him. Everyone seemed hell bent on heaping blame on his family and so he had essentially given up. Not that he had really tried either. Arriving at Hogwarts and seeing how he was treated gave him a fair assessment of how futile and pointless a task it would be. At least at Hogwarts. He was counting down the days to graduation.

So he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Why do you keep on staring at me?"

She drew back, looking slightly affronted.

"What?"

He knew she had heard him the first time so he kept silent as he watched her shocked face became guarded. Her good-natured attitude was long gone as she eyed him warily.

"Why do _you_?" she challenged back.

He ignored how juvenile this defensive response was as he tried to formulate one of his own.

"I only looked in the first place because you weren't paying attention in Transfiguration. And now every time I do anything, you're staring," he accused.

She bristled. "I do not stare at you all the time, Malfoy. You're not that important you know!"

A cold stab of shame, self-pity, and intense anger seeped through him at these words. He narrowed his eyes. As if he didn't know that already! He was quite aware of the fact that hardly anyone at Hogwarts thought he was worthwhile. But the selfish, prideful, Slytherin part of him did not want this girl, this pretty girl he found so interesting and so damn _good_, to think that of him. But her words cut down this hope, even though he had known how stupid and naïve it was. He felt his restraint and self-control rapidly slipping away.

"Oh," he laughed darkly. "Are you also going to tell me I'm worthless? That I don't deserve to even be at Hogwarts? Really, Weasley, I thought you were above joining the masses."

Her cheeks turned red and she tightened her fists, the one on her broomstick turning white from the strain.

"Ah so the stoic Scorpius Malfoy, who aces his exams and never gets in trouble, is really just a bitter loner who feels sorry for himself. I guess it makes you feel better to judge the rest of us while you walk around with your wonderfully cynical anecdotes?" she shot back, her tone dripping with spiteful sarcasm.

The way her words hit right on the mark, no matter how viciously or cruelly, was what really pushed him over the edge.

"Wow– the illusion is shattered. Famous and wonderful Rose Weasley is really just a frigid bitch who coasts through life because of who her family is. Nepotism, what a truly blessed gift," he cut back, icily.

"Argh!" she screamed, lifting her hand (either to take out her wand or punch him– he wasn't sure) before they were interrupted.

"Miss Weasley! Mr. Malfoy! What do you think you are doing?" came a voice even angrier, if possible, than both of theirs.

They turned to see Headmistress McGonagall glaring at them with her arms crossed. Scorpius had never known anyone else to be able to induce guilt and remorse so effectively with just a look.

"Really! You are behaving like children. I expect better of sixth year students," she raised a thin eyebrow at Rose's raised hand. "And I thought you would know better than to settle a dispute with violence, Miss Weasley, be it Muggle or magical. Ten points each from Gryffindor and Slytherin and detention in my office. Nine o'clock."

Scorpius felt his rage and indignation return. Detention? _He _hadn't been about to hex or hit someone. She had been the one so why was he roped in at all?

He heard, rather than saw, Rose about to argue back before McGonagall interrupted again.

"Miss Weasley, need I remind you that this is one of many _incidents_ you have been involved in since the start of the term already. Consider yourself lucky I am not writing to your parents. And you, Mr. Malfoy," she directed her stern gaze towards him. "I know Miss Weasley well enough to know she would not go to such lengths unprovoked. Not to mention your language should be better monitored in the future. You will both be there tonight. See to it that you aren't late." She gave them one last imperious look before strolling through the castle doors.

Rose snorted in frustration before marching through the doors herself, without sparing him a glance.

— — —

It only took twenty minutes before Scorpius calmed down and regretted the entire exchange. His first conversation ever with a Weasley had been a disaster. He mentally berated himself for deciding it would be a good idea to walk out on the grounds in the first place. It was bloody November. Who took a stroll outdoors for pleasure in _November_?

Idiots like him, apparently.

He groaned as he began picturing the horrors that would surely befall him now that he had so blatantly crossed a Weasley.

Luckily most of her old cousins had already left Hogwarts, but Fred Weasley and James Potter were still in the year above. Hell— even her younger brother wasn't an idle threat, being as tall as he was.

Walking to the Headmistress' office that night felt akin to what he imagined walking to hear his death sentence would be like. He got there before Rose did.

He didn't wait long before she arrived. She seemed intent on ignoring him now. Instead of feeling relief at finally getting his wish, he felt a foreign sense of emptiness. Before the awkward mood could fester for much longer, Professor McGonagall walked up to the pair of them.

"Good, you're both here. Follow me," she instructed as she marched up to the gargoyle. She gave the password (_jelly slugs_) and the three of them ascended the revealed staircase in firm silence.

Scorpius had never been in the Head of School's office before so he couldn't help looking around curiously at the circular room and portrait adorned walls when entering. Rose, he noted out of corner of his eye, looked not only not surprised at the impressive nature of the room, but rather comfortable and in her element. He inwardly rolled his eyes. The Potters and Weasleys were famous for their affinity for mischief so he supposed this was not her first time serving detention with the Headmistress.

"Right. Professor Sinistra has been feeling under the weather lately. So you two can help by grading these first year Astronomy charts," Professor McGonagall said as she sat behind her desk and summoned a formidable stack of parchment in front the three of them.

Scorpius looked questioningly at the pile. Didn't detention usually include something benign like getting lines or some sort of manual labor?

Professor McGonagall seemed to understand his unspoken query as she again raised an eyebrow. "Yes, grading, Mr. Malfoy. You and Miss Weasley are quite academically accomplished so might as well put you two to use," she stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

After explaining the standards to grade by, she set them to work before excusing herself to discuss something with some other professors, but not before making a comment about how she hoped they could manage to avoid an argument without her presence. They started working in thick silence, but as opposed to earlier, it felt less suffocating to Scorpius now. Perhaps it was because they were each preoccupied, their attentions focused intently on things that made sense and needed attending to. He felt a sense of calm returning to him as he scrutinized the first year homework, quill already dipped with red ink and poised in his left hand. This he could do. Having very few friends and social commitments to see to over the years, he had spent most of his time and energy on schoolwork. He and Damian had the highest marks amongst the Slytherin sixth years. And he was pretty sure amongst most of the other sixth years from other houses as well. Rose was probably their only competition.

As he had this thought, he chanced a subtle look at her. She was biting her lip again as she scanned the parchment on her lap, tapping the quill against her cheek repeatedly. Her hair was now pulled back into a lose knot and her legs were crossed with the top one bobbing up and down in time with the quill.

_Merlin. Does she ever stand still? _He returned his attention to his own parchment, marking an incorrect drawing of the Leo constellation.

The clock ticked by as they continued working in what became a rather companionable quiet. They were about halfway through the grading when they both reached for the next chart in the pile at the same time. Scorpius' hand landed on top of hers before he instinctually jerked it away.

"Sorry," he mumbled, looking away from her.

He heard her sigh heavily before silence fell upon them again.

Suddenly she spoke up for the first time that night.

"I'm sorry."

He turned back towards her. "What?"

She looked at her lap where her fingers were twisting together. She continued, sounding nervous, "I'm sorry for bringing up your father. I shouldn't have. I understand if it makes you uncomfortable, but we were just talking about whatever so I didn't even think to—"

"I'm sorry, too." _Merlin. Why was he always interrupting her?_

She finally turned to look back at him, her intense blue targeting his equally sharp green-grey.

"What for?" she asked. "I started talking about something without thinking about how it might make you feel, especially considering who my own family is. And then I attacked you for asking a valid question."

"A valid question?"

A small blush creeped up her face as she answered, "Well...you asked why I've been looking at you lately." She paused. He waited patiently. "And it's true. I have been. I was just embarrassed so I started picking you apart."

"You were right though," he replied after a beat and her face became one of confusion.

"Right about what?"

"About—" he gestured with his hand. "About everything you said about me. You pretty much summed me up perfectly." He chuckled bitterly and without humor, running the same hand through his hair.

"No I didn't," she said firmly, her lips pursed together.

"How would you know?" he asked, not unkindly. "You don't even know me."

She bit her tongue before saying quietly, "But I'd like to."

He was stunned into dumb shock. The only sense of awareness he had of his own body at that moment was the sudden painful ache in his chest.

She gave him a small, shy smile before speaking again. "Why do you think I was staring so much? I don't know anything about you at all. No one really does. I never really thought about you much before— I'm sorry about that. I didn't do it on purpose. We just never ran in the same circles. But I guess, I'm curious."

He blinked at her a couple times before tentatively returning her smile. In that instant, an epic battle waged in his mind, whether to give in or not. Finally, giving into his curious and hopeful desires, he made a choice. Taking a deep breath for courage, he said, "Well, what do you want to know?"

Her smile grew into a full-blown, brilliant grin that made his heart pound. _Damn._ He thought she looked beautiful.

"Damian Nott is your cousin, right?" she asked, before returning to grading the chart she had just grabbed.

"Yeah he is," Scorpius answered as he took a new chart for himself. "Our mums are sisters."

"You guys seem to be around each other a lot. Are you close?"

He shrugged. "You could say that. We're both quiet people but we grew up together. We're probably each other's closest friend."

Rose nodded, "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like— to have just one really great friend. Having a family like mine makes that kind of impossible. But I guess Albus would be the one I'm closest to after my own brother."

"What's your brother's name?" he asked, scribbling down a comment on the assignment he was marking.

"Hugo. He's a fourth year. We get along really well. He can be a pain in the arse sometimes, but that's what siblings are for," she said back with another smile. "Did you ever want siblings?"

He sucked in his bottom lip, thinking carefully about his answer before responding.

"Yeah I did. I almost had a younger sister, but...things didn't work out and my mum couldn't have any more kids," he took another deep breath before continuing. Now that he had started, it was easier to go on. "But it's still good with just the three of us. We're really close. But I know my dad was always kind of crushed he couldn't have a daughter too."

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely and without that self-righteous pity he loathed.

He shrugged again. "It is what it is. We do have a dog though and he spoils her rotten."

She laughed lightly. "What's your dog's name?"

"Lyra. She's a Manchester terrier," he answered with a slightly affectionate tone.

"Lyra," she repeated, as she went to take another chart. "So the whole naming after constellations thing applies to family pets as well?" she asked good-humoredly.

He snorted with a slight smile. "Yes. Mum just rolls her eyes whenever my dad thinks he's being sneaky when he slips Lyra food from the table."

"My mum rolls her eyes whenever my dad eats at the dinner table in general," Rose laughed. "Favorite color?"

"Green."

"How original of you."

"Sorry. Both my parents were Slytherins so I may have had a slightly biased upbringing," he said. "Yours?"

"Purple. Middle name?"

He scowled at her. "Hyperion."

To her credit, she didn't laugh.

At least at first. Her lips curved upwards as she pressed them tightly together to prevent her giggle from coming out. She lasted five seconds.

"What's yours then?" he asked in an effort to distract her amusement.

"It's a mouthful. It's Nymphadora," she replied.

"Nymphadora as in Nymphadora Tonks, my dad's cousin?" he asked in surprise.

She tilted her head to the side as she considered him. "Yes, I was named after her."

A slightly awkward pause filled the air as they realized all the gravity behind this shared fact.

"Do you play Quidditch?" she asked, rather hurriedly. "I know you're not on the Slytherin team, but do you play for fun?"

He was grateful for the question. "I prefer just flying rather than playing. I do like watching Quidditch though." Honestly, he had never had other people to play Quidditch with, but even if he did, he believed he would still find more enjoyment in just flying without the constraints that the sport entailed. "You play."

She nodded. "Yeah. Sometimes I think I'd like to play professionally after Hogwarts."

"Really?" he asked in surprise. Being as smart as she was, he had never pinned her for a career as an athlete. Something in the Ministry would've been more expected. But he supposed that this was all part of how Rose intrigued him.

"Yeah. Two of my aunts played professionally." He knew who she was talking about— Angelina Weasley and Ginny Potter. "So ever since I was little, it was something I wanted. And now, I think I'm going to really try for it. What about you?"

He bit his lip before answering shyly, "Healer."

"Healer? That's great. A lot of bloody work though. You're going to have to ace all your N.E.W.T.'s. Now I feel like I'm going to get off easy, pursuing Quidditch. Well, good luck to you," she grinned at him.

"Yes well, if they even accept me into the training program." _Shit_. He had said it without thinking. Talking to her had been much easier than he had expected and the words had slipped out before he could properly filter them.

"Why wouldn't they take you? Your marks are so good. I bet you got twelve O.W.L.'s, didn't you?" she asked.

He ground his teeth. "It's not a question of grades." He wished they had never gotten on the subject of careers.

She raised her eyebrows. "So it's a question of what then?"

"Of being a bloody Malfoy!" he burst out before he could help himself. "Who is going to trust a Malfoy in St. Mungo's? Who is going to want to be healed by a Malfoy?" He scoffed derisively. "It won't matter how high my marks are. All that will matter is what my family did over twenty years ago."

Immediately after this outburst, a sense of shame settled around him. Their conversation had been going fairly well up til that point and he had just ruined it by dumping years of resentment on her. He avoided her gaze.

"I— I'm sorry," he stuttered, blushing furiously. "I shouldn't have—"

"No," she said sharply. "You shouldn't have." He looked at her in surprise.

"Of course they won't accept your application if you keep walking around with that wounded, tortured ego. You've got to _try, _but if you don't even bloody believe you can do it and that you _deserve_ it, then you might as well give up now. Which you basically have already. You're not a bad person and you're not your family's past actions. _I _know that, but I'm not sure you do, even though you should be the one who knows that better than anyone," she said steadily, her eyes never leaving his.

For what seemed like the hundredth time in the past few days, Rose Weasley had unnerved him to the core.

He said the first thing that came to his blank mind.

"Thank you." _The hell?_

"You're welcome," she answered back, not missing a beat. "But I know you still feel the same way."

He didn't respond. They both knew it was true. He cast around to say something else to get them off this uncomfortable topic before Professor McGonagall returned.

She looked at the two of them and then the clock.

"I think that is enough for the night. It's almost curfew. Thank you— you two are free to go. And please refrain from your childish arguments in the future," she told them as she sat back down in her chair.

They tidied up before bidding the Headmistress good night and walking out of the office. Once back in the hallway, Rose turned to him and held out her hand.

"Call me Rose."

He shook her hand.

"Call me Scorpius."


	3. Chapter 3

It was Sunday, and Scorpius and Damian were where they usually could be found on the weekends. The library.

They were sitting at their table at the back. They had more or less taken ownership of it over the past few years because no one else had wanted to sit in the dark corner all the way in the back of the library. This suited the two boys fine. The only thing was that it was a long walk and this gave their peers ample time to sneer at them or give them rude hand gestures. By this point in their Hogwarts educations, the two boys would just quickly try to reach their table as inconspicuously as possible.

"Have you started the Herbology essay yet?"

Scorpius looked up from his Charms textbook to his cousin sitting across from him.

Before he could answer however, he saw something over Damian's shoulder that made him forget what he had been about to say.

Rose Weasley was marching up to their table, seemingly oblivious to the stares she was receiving from the other students in the library. When she arrived, she nodded at Scorpius before turning to Damian, who eyed her warily. She held out her hand to him.

"Rose Weasley."

Damian looked back at her before giving Scorpius a questioning glance so quickly that anyone else besides Scorpius would have missed it. Scorpius knew Damian was silently asking him whether he should trust Rose or not. Scorpius gave him an equally silent and subtle answer.

His cousin shook Rose's hand before replying neutrally, "Damian Nott."

She nodded before seeing that Damian's Herbology notes that were on the table.

"Are you working on the Herbology essay?" she asked. Damian gave her another look before nodding.

"Great. I need to start it. Do you guys mind if I work here, too?" she asked, taking the seat next to Scorpius.

Scorpius gave her a small smile. Damian, however, spoke up.

"Not to be rude, but what exactly are you doing over here with us?"

Rose looked up from her books to meet Damian's guarded yet curious gaze.

"Studying," she answered matter-of-factly. "The three of us probably get some of the highest marks in our year. So I figured you two would probably be the best people to study with. That's if— that's if you want to, of course," she finished uncertainly.

Damian observed her thoughtfully before slowly nodding. "Makes sense."

"Great," she said in a rather business-like manner. "I study with Albus sometimes, but we just end up getting distracted and thinking that strategically setting a dungbomb under Madame Pince's chair would be a better use of our time. Which it sometimes is."

"That was you?" asked Scorpius. Although he guessed he shouldn't really be surprised.

She nodded, smirking. "One of our finer moments. Of course that meant the library was unusable for the rest of the night and we got detention for a week straight. But my dad and Uncle George promised us a lifetime supply of dungbombs when they found out."

Damian looked at her incredulously. "You didn't get in trouble?"

She shrugged. "My mum was horrified. But everyone else in the family was just jealous that they didn't think of it before." She laughed softly as she set up her quill and ink.

Scorpius shook his head in amusement. "Bloody unbelievable."

She lightheartedly slapped his upper arm. "Like you wouldn't have done it if you had the chance."

He gave her a stern look before shrugging ruefully. She laughed before starting to write on her parchment.

He saw that Damian had been watching the exchange with a small smirk on his face.

— — —

"No, Rose."

"Why?" demanded Rose, crossly with her arms folded across her chest.

He bit his lip before saying, "It's a bad idea."

"And, pray tell, Scorpius, what makes it a bad idea?"

"...theywon'tlikeme" he rushed out quickly.

She paused, looking up at him curiously. Some stragglers passed by them to walk through the doors to the Great Hall for dinner. Scorpius gritted his teeth, as yet again, they blatantly stared at him and Rose.

_Yes— what is she doing with someone like me? I'm still trying to figure it out myself, alright?_ Damian hadn't been hungry so Scorpius had had to weather the glares on his own during his walk with Rose from the library to the Great Hall.

"Scorpius!" Rose said, regaining his attention. "What makes you think my family won't like you? Sure they haven't talked to you much but we're not mean people."

"I'm a Malfoy—" he started but Rose interrupted him.

"Yes you are. And you're the grandson and son of death eaters who attacked my parents and uncles. We've always known that Scorpius but we've never given you trouble for it. You were never a problematic person so we never gave you much thought but they trust my judgment. I want to get to know you better and they will too when they see what I see," said Rose calmly and seriously, her eyes never leaving his face. She flushed slightly at the end but kept her gaze and voice steady.

He blinked in shock. Here she was, giving him what he had always wanted— to be free of the restraints and taint that came with his surname, to be judged based on character alone and not on the actions of his relatives in a war that happened years ago.

"What do you see?" he asked before he could help himself. He was genuinely curious. No one his own age had ever spoken to him as she had before, as though he had something to offer. His parents and professors had always been kind but to have it coming from a classmate, a classmate whose parents were part of the Golden Trio and former enemies with his family, a classmate who he found beautiful and enduringly wonderful, was a whole other experience. And he wanted to seize it while he could.

Her blush deepened, but she said, "Well, someone who is a good person for a start. Sure you are a little bitter, closed off, and not very self-assertive, but even with everything that's happened to you and your family, you've done the best you could and I admire you for it. You've handled it with...grace I guess and I'm not sure I could've done so well. Life dealt you a shit hand and you could have easily become an angry and horrible person but you're kind, polite and hardworking. You're smart— your marks are higher than mine a lot of the time. You're pretty damn good-looking too," he blushed, "and you're an interesting person. I want to know you Scorpius, but you have to let me. I know you're not used to it but you're going to have to let me in sometime. I want you to. And just so you know, I don't just give up on something I want," she finished, the slightly mischievous look returning to her eyes.

Looking back, he knew that there had been no other way to react. Without thinking, he moved closer to her and gently grabbed her face in his hands. And it was now her turn to be stunned.

However he suddenly became trapped in the moment, unable to do anything more yet unable to back away. He froze as he gazed down at her widened eyes and slightly open mouth. He was incredibly nervous. This was the closest he had ever been to a girl and anxiety seemed to overwhelm all other thought.

In his embarrassing hesitation, she seemed to have regained her senses and come to a decision. She took a step closer so that their bodies were just barely pressed together and she raised her hands to either side of his arms to grasp his wrists gently.

He panicked for a second, thinking she was about to remove his hands. But she didn't. She just squeezed reassuringly and intently as she gave him a look so full of promise that he finally lowered his lips to hers.

It was soft and uncertain. He felt his chest grow heavy as he gently kissed the girl in front of him.

She kissed him back, taking control over what he had initiated. His whole body jolted with energy, jubilation, and nerves as she took the lead.

He tried to reciprocate as best he could. He kissed her soundly and deeply, trying to communicate his appreciation for everything she was to him. Her hands moved so that they were resting on his chest.

She pulled back, smiling slightly and he leaned his forehead on hers.

"C'mon," she said softly. "If you think a little snogging is going to distract me, you're going to be disappointed. Let's go eat so you can meet everyone." Without waiting for him to give another weak protest, she grabbed his hand and walked into the Great Hall.

— — —

"So Scorpius. What exactly are you intentions with our dear Rosie?"

Scorpius turned pink and struggled to come up with a dignified response.

"Shut it, Fred," Rose said as she started to fill her plate with food to Scorpius' right.

"Aw c'mon Rosie!" Fred Weasley whined as James Potter snickered and Albus Potter rolled his eyes. "If you're going to bring a bloke to family dinner, you've got to at least let me have a go at him."

Rose gave him a sharp look that didn't seem to affect him in the slightest. "And why," she said with purposeful slowness, as if it was for her cousin's benefit, "do you feel like you've got to do anything just because Scorpius is here?"

Fred puffed out his chest proudly. "Because Roxie is older than me and you and Lily are the only girl cousins younger than me. Therefore, your suitors will be the lucky recipients of my protective and intimidating older male relative speech."

Rose snorted, shaking her head. Scorpius heard her say, "Intimidating my arse," before taking a sip of her pumpkin juice.

"Excuse me?" yelled Lily Potter from her seat. "I've already got James and Albus for that. Not to mention Teddy and Dad. That's a bloody nightmare enough so I will not be dealing with your ridiculous treatment of whatever suitors I may or may not have, too."

"Fair enough," Fred shrugged as he turned back to Rose. "And since Hugo is younger than you, I suppose you will be the lucky, lucky lady who will get my undivided protection from the atrocity that is the male gender."

"Well at least you know how much of a wanker you are."

"Such language, Rosie! And at your favorite cousin!"

At this proclamation, the rest of her cousins exploded in protest, yelling over one another.

Rose leaned over to murmur in Scorpius' ear. "Sorry about this. Wish I could say we are usually well behaved and all that bollocks. But," she gestured at her family. "Clearly not." She laughed at them fondly before taking a bite of her food.

"It's alright," said Scorpius. "Christmas dinner must be incredibly entertaining."

"Oh— you have no idea," she quipped with a broad smile. He felt his heart skip a beat. The moment was short-lived when James turned his attention back to Scorpius.

"So Scorpius, we may have gotten off topic there a bit," Rose snorted again. James ignored her. "But getting back to you. Who are you?"

"Excuse me?" asked Scorpius, confused.

Hugo rolled his eyes at his cousin before saying, "What he means is we don't know anything about you really."

"Oh," said Scorpius. Then, just as he had last night, he took a breath and said, "What do you want to know?"

He saw Rose smile down at her plate next to him. As her family began to eagerly ask him questions and he tried to answer as best he could, he tentatively reached out for her hand under the table. She intertwined their fingers and didn't let go until she kissed him good night in the Great Hall. It was lucky he was left-handed.

— — —

Scorpius was at breakfast early the next morning as he usually was. As he began eating, his eyes scanned the Great Hall. He saw most of the Weasley family arrive at the Gryffindor table, but not the one he was looking for. He returned to his breakfast.

A few minutes later Rose entered with another girl from her house, chatting casually as they dawdled behind a group of Hufflepuffs. As much as he told himself to act calm and collected, he couldn't help the jolt in his stomach as he steadily took her in. Her hair was up and her robes were a bit lopsided, as if she had just thrown them on without a care.

Then she turned towards him, scanning the Slytherin table. When she found him, her face lit up and her grin widened. She cocked her head to the side, as if to ask how he was doing. Scorpius couldn't help but to smile a small grin in response before jerking his head at her. Her smile grew and she gave him a small nod before taking a seat at the Gryffindor table next to Hugo and her friend.

Scorpius returned to his food, unable to completely clear the tiny grin on his face as Damian muttered under his breath, "Shit. You've fallen hard."


	4. Chapter 4

Scorpius could honestly say he never expected to date someone like Rose Weasley. Well, really he never expected he would actually date _Rose Weasley_ at all. Being a relatively quiet and very well-mannered person, he thought he would end up with someone like him.

Rose was not like him.

She was loud for one. She was snarky and sarcastic (well, he supposed he could be too). And she carried herself with a welcoming, friendly and encouraging air that Scorpius had never had. Her attraction to causing mischief and to being wildly adventurous completely contrasted to Scorpius' fundamental Slytherin qualities of self-preservation and dignified behavior. She didn't mind the spotlight, having been practically born in it, while he shunned it. Where she usually took two daring steps forward, he was inclined to take two cautionary steps back. They were so essentially different that Scorpius, as well as the rest of Hogwarts he was sure, wondered whether they were really well-suited for one another or not.

The rest of the students were expectedly shocked by the coupling of a Malfoy and Weasley. Scorpius had thought he might get even more abuse for it, but for once, he was ready to take it because Rose was worth it. However the extra bullying hadn't come— it remained mainly the same as it always had before, perhaps even lessened slightly. He supposed that others were equally wary of the Weasley cousins as he had been (and admittedly still was) and hadn't wanted to learn what would happen if they openly crossed someone who was dating a Weasley.

At the same time, he did not want to depend on Rose and her family for everything. He still did some things on his own or with Damian, but obviously the amount of time he spent with the Potters and Weasleys had shot through the roof in the past couple of weeks, making for a definitely more entertaining and interesting time at Hogwarts than he would've had otherwise.

He knew in his mind that being with Rose was good for him. In countless ways. But his insecurity that this did not go both ways was always in the back of his mind. He didn't want to drag her down, cause problems between her and her parents, have everyone else think she was insane or incredibly dumb for trusting him. He felt guilty and selfish, even though he knew she was too strong-headed a person to let anyone else tell her what she could and could not do in her life.

The Christmas holidays were approaching and the castle grew even colder as flurries of snow settled around the grounds. Scorpius and Damian were in their usual spot in the library, quietly working, when Rose stormed in.

Perhaps "stormed in" was generous. She stampeded in fury and outrage, with her hair whipping around her angry face and her shoes pounding down forcibly with each step.

"Uhh," stuttered Damian, his usual collected demeanor faltering as he watched Rose approach. He turned to a stock-still Scorpius and said, "Shit. That's all you mate," before hurriedly burying his face in his potions book.

When she reached their table, Rose slammed her book bag down so hard that everything shifted from the disturbance.

"Argh!" she spat out as one of her books fell on the floor. "_Fucking hell._"

"Um... Rose?" asked Scorpius warily as Damian pointedly ignored them both. Scorpius knew Rose expressed her emotions much more openly and unconsciously than he did, but he had never seen her so mad before.

"What?" she snapped, setting her Charms book down with a loud _bang _before ripping it open and slamming her elbows down so she could rest her red face in her hands.

"What's wrong?"

"_Nothing_."

"…Rose."

"Scorpius."

He sighed. Goddamn. "_Rose_, what's wrong?"

"Ugh!" she pushed herself away from the table and stood up, clearly pissed off. "Nothing's wrong, alright Scorpius? Just leave it! I need to finish a shit ton of work before we leave for the holidays and I have Quidditch practice later in this crappy weather and now I need to— what are you doing?"

During her rampage, Scorpius had made a decision. He waved his wand and all their stuff flew into each of their book bags. He hoisted their two bags onto his shoulder, muttered a "See you later" to Damian, and grabbed Rose's hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" shouted Rose furiously, trying to wrench her hand back.

"Making sure you don't get banned from the library for the rest of the year," he muttered, speeding up as people stared.

"What?" She sounded even angrier, if that was possible.

"I'm doing this for your own good you know," he tried to explain calmly.

"Oh are you? Am I supposed to be thanking you for dragging me around—"

"_Merlin_. Can you stop acting like a—" he began, frustrated as they neared the library's exit.

"Like a what?" Her tone becoming dangerous now as he sighed a breath of relief when they finally walked out of the library.

"Like a child," he said quietly, not quite able to meet her gaze and half of him hoped she hadn't heard him.

Unfortunately for him, she did.

"Well I'm sorry you have to deal with my _childish_ behavior," she said sarcastically. "How about I just leave you here then so you don't have to suffer—"

He interrupted her. "Rose, tell me what's wrong."

"Merlin, Scorpius. I already told you, nothing's wrong," she snapped again.

He crossed his arms as he looked at her. "You know, somehow I really don't believe you."

"Oh yes, you're so smart. So you must be right and I must be wrong—" she rambled, glaring at him.

"You know what?" he said sharply, fed up now. "Yes. I am right and you are wrong. And you are acting like a child, throwing a tantrum in the library where people are trying to work and Madame Pince will kill you for disturbing everyone. You can be angry if you want, but don't force it on the rest of the world. And I'm trying to help you but if you're going to lash out at me when I try, then fine. But I know you're better than that and I want to be here for you. So please, just... just be mad but don't be mad at me because I want to know why you're upset. And I'm sure that if whatever it was made you this mad, it will probably piss me off too. So, let's be pissed off about it together, but some place where we won't get detention." He reached for her hand again and finished his ultimatum much more calmly and quietly than he had started it, ending with a slightly more affectionate tone that he reserved only for her and his family.

She looked down at their hands with his gently caressing hers. She then shifted her gaze to the floor.

Then she finally said, very quietly, "I— I'm not even sure why I'm mad anymore…" She released a bitter, embarrassed puff of air. She finally lifted her head to look at him, shame etched in in face. "I'm sorry," she said hesitantly, as if it was hard for her to say. "I was acting like an arse, I know. But that's how I get when I get really mad about something. I've got a shit temper. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I'm not," he told her, squeezing her hand.

"You're not?" she asked, surprised. "I was such a bitch."

"Yeah you were," he replied. "But like you said, I want to get to know you, all of you, and you're going to have to let me."

She gave a small chuckle then. "Saying my own words back to me… how Slytherin." She shook her head before continuing on, "Damn. You put me in my place."

He shrugged self-consciously. "Not really."

She shook her head again. "Yeah you did. I know I get out of control a lot, but you— well, yeah," she murmured, coloring a bit. She took a step towards him. "Thank you," she said softly, before leaning up for a kiss.

And then he realized that he had been wrong because he _could_ be good for her. He had always believed that the "opposites attract" nonsense was a bunch of bollocks. And he still did. But with him and Rose, it worked. She was able to pull him out when he needed to and, in turn, he was able to bring her back in when she needed to. It was a balance that was uniquely _them_, being who they were as individuals and who they were to one another. And perhaps it wouldn't always be him needing her, as it had mainly been up until this moment. That perhaps she would need him from time to time too, and he'd be able to give her whatever she needed from him.

In the few weeks they had been together, they were still learning. But now they had reached a point where he could trust her to know what he needed in his times of self-doubt and she could trust him to know how best to handle her when her fiery nature took over. It was more than just attraction or fancying each other. It was more a sense of belonging.

He kissed her back, trying to convey all of this that he was thinking, feeling. He reached out blindly for her other hand as well and he entangled their fingers together, bringing up both of their hands to her shoulder height as he tightened his grip.

When he finally pulled back gently, he looked down at her pretty face. She blushed slightly under the intensity of his eyes and smiled contentedly.

"I really like you," he said quietly.

Her smile grew as she gave him a small peck on the lips before replying, "I really like you, too."

"I think," he paused, looking at their joint hands, before continuing shyly, "I think we're good together."

"You know what," she whispered in his ear as she leaned her body into his. He closed his eyes, trying to repress a shudder. "I think we're _really_ good together."

His eyes shot back open when he felt her softly bite his earlobe. All of a sudden, it felt a lot harder to breath as her mouth made its way down his jawline.

"R-Rose," he stuttered. "What are you doing?" He asked weakly.

She laughed softly against his neck and he squeezed his eyes shut again.

"Why? Do you want me to stop?" she asked, smirking and pushing her body even more firmly against his.

_Merlin, no_.

"We—We're in the middle of the hallway, Rose," he tried again desperately as he thought of ways to distract himself. He was failing miserably.

Her lips had just reached the corner of his when suddenly he said quickly, "I want you to meet my parents."

That stopped her.

She moved back slightly with a raised eyebrow. "I am this close to snogging your pants off—" (he didn't think his face had ever turned so red) "—and you bring up your parents?"

"I, uh, I," he started, unsure of what to say. She smiled then.

"I'm just kidding," she said softly. "But you sure you want me to meet them?"

"Yes," he said firmly, trying to ignore his embarrassment.

"You want me, a Weasley— daughter of some of your family's least favorite people, to meet your parents, Draco and Astoria Malfoy?"

"Yes."

She gave him a long look before nodding hesitantly. "Okay."

"Okay?" he asked, double-checking.

"Okay," she replied. "But…"

"But?" he asked cautiously.

"But that means you have to meet mine," she said with a small smirk.

He took a deep breath before answering, "Okay."

"Okay?"

He nodded, smiling. "Okay."

— — —

"It'll be fine," Scorpius whispered in Rose's ear as she bounced her legs restlessly. She just gave him a skeptical look that said she did not believe him before she looked back out at the Scottish landscape whipping by through the window.

In an effort to calm her nerves, he gently placed his hand on her jittering leg, tracing a small circle with his finger. She relaxed a little, but still not completely.

They were on the Hogwarts Express to go back home for the holidays. He and Rose were sitting near the window in the compartment they shared with Damian, Albus, Lily, and Hugo. In an interesting twist, Rose was the one who was more nervous than he was at the impending meetings with each of their parents.

He looked around the compartment as Rose continued to fidget. Albus and Hugo were sitting next to one another, snickering quietly at Damian across from them. Lily had fallen asleep and ended up with her head resting on Damian's shoulder. Scorpius smirked as he watched his distinctly uncomfortable cousin look at a complete loss of what to do. Damian seemed torn between continuing to read his book and trying to get Lily off of him, all the while shooting Albus and Hugo furtive, nervous looks.

Scorpius turned his face so it was hidden in Rose's hair in an effort to hide his amusement. He whispered in Rose's ear again, "Look at Damian."

"Hm?" she said distractedly, finally looking away from the window and noticing Damian's predicament. She snorted loudly, smiling for the first time since getting onto the train.

Damian, hearing Rose's laughter, glared at her.

"Scorpius, tell your girlfriend to shut it," Damian muttered. Scorpius shook his head, grinning.

"Sorry. _That,_" he gestured at Lily's sleeping form, "is all you mate."

Damian looked at him stonily. "Wanker."

Scorpius just smiled back as Rose giggled into his shoulder.

Suddenly, Damian smirked mischievously back at them as he checked his watch.

"Oh well look!" he said in mock astonishment. "We should be getting back to Kings Cross in ten minutes."

Rose scowled, her nervous moving about returning as she gave Damian a rude hand gesture and looked back out the window.

Damian snorted. "A real charmer you're dating," he said to Scorpius.

"And a nice pillow you're making," Scorpius deadpanned. Albus and Hugo, unable to hold back any longer, started to fall over each other in laughter. "You're lucky James isn't here. He'd probably smash your face in if he saw you right now," Scorpius continued on.

"Actually I wouldn't be in this position in the first place if you weren't with Rose. So if Potter wants anyone to blame, it should be you," retorted Damian.

"Well then he'd just smash both of your faces in then," said Hugo, shrugging and laughing at the same time.

"It'd still be your fault," grumbled Damian.

— — —

"Oh shit. Ohshitohshitohshit," Rose swore under her breath.

"You know," Scorpius said nonchalantly. "If you want to make a good impression, you might want to tone down the language."

"Ugh," moaned Rose as she shoved him a bit. "Shut up and let's do this." She grabbed his hand and they walked out onto the platform.

Luckily, or unluckily, Scorpius spotted both of their parents quickly enough.

"Yours or mine first?" he asked quietly.

"Yours," she said in a rush. He nodded and led her over to his parents to the left. He cleared his throat and he saw his parents look over at him curiously.

"Mum, Dad," he said, grinning as they approached.

"Hey!" his mum before she gave him a hug. "How are you?" she asked excitedly.

"I'm good," he said, unable to completely hide the giddiness in his voice. "Hey dad."

"Hi Scorpius," his dad smiled, giving him a one-armed hug, before pulling back slightly and looking at Rose. "And this is?"

Scorpius stepped back and placed his hand gently on her lower back (he ignored his dad's raised eyebrow at this move). "This is Rose. Uh, Rose Weasley."

Rose released a breath before smiling shyly and stepping forward with her hand held out. "It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. I've heard a lot about you."

"You have?" his mum asked in a surprised tone as she shook Rose's hand. Rose nodded before turning to shake his father's hand.

"And are you," his dad cleared his throat as he too shook Rose's hand. "Are you two… together?"

Scorpius looked at Rose, who gave him a reassuring look, before turning back to his parents and responding, "Yes, um Rose is my girlfriend." He turned red and knew that Rose had as well.

Before any of them could say something, however, another male voice called out.

"Rosie!"

They all turned to see Rose's parents walking up looking slightly confused with a smirking Hugo trailing behind them.

"Hi Dad!" Rose squealed happily as she ran a couple steps before flinging herself in her father's arms.

"Hey Rosie," said Ron Weasley, grinning as he gave her a kiss on her cheek. "Where were you? We were looking for you."

"Oh," stuttered Rose as she stepped back to give her mother a hug. "I was just uh meeting…"

"Malfoy?" asked Ron Weasley in shock.

"Weasley," answered Scorpius' father curtly as the two men stared at each other, unmoving.

"Astoria, right?" asked Hermione Granger, smiling tentatively, as she stepped forward to introduce herself to Scorpius' mum.

"Yes," his mum nodded with a small smile of her own. "And you are Hermione Granger of course. Or Hermione Weasley I guess I should say. And this is my son Scorpius."

Scorpius steeled his nerves before saying, "It's nice to finally meet you Mrs. Weasley."

Rose's mum laughed as she looked at him. "Don't call me Mrs. Weasley. Makes me think of Ron's mother. And this is Ron," she said elbowing her husband out of his staring contest with Scorpius' dad.

"Hmm? What? Oh yes, nice to meet you," Ron Weasley said, shaking Scorpius' hand distractedly.

"So Weasley," Scorpius' father finally spoke in a careful drawl. Scorpius squeezed his fist, praying. "It seems that my son is now your daughter's boyfriend."

Astoria rolled her eyes. Hermione turned to look at him and Rose in surprise. Hugo tried to hide his giggling behind his hand. Ron Weasley stood stock-still, unblinking as Draco's words sank in.

Rose nervously tugged at her father's sleeve as she said quietly, "Uh Dad?" Mr. Weasley seemed to snap out of it at his daughter's words before turning to also look the two sixth years, who were shifting slightly guiltily under all four parents' gazes.

"Are you two dating?" he asked in a surprisingly calm and curious voice.

"Yes," said Rose as Scorpius nodded.

"And," Rose's father continued on to Rose as he jerked his head towards Scorpius. "He treats you well? He makes you happy?"

Draco snorted as he muttered, "Of course he does, Weasley. I didn't raise my son to be a bloody idiot." Astoria rolled her eyes again with a small smile.

Ron ignored this jibe as he looked at Rose, waiting for her reply.

She nodded, that shy but brilliant grin that Scorpius loved so much spreading across her face. "Yeah," she said happily. "Yeah, he does."

Ron nodded slowly before straightening up and saying to Scorpius' father, "Well then. I suppose we should invite you all over for dinner sometime. Or actually," Ron said, a smirk appearing on his face. "Why don't the three of you join all of us at the Burrow for New Year's Eve? I'm sure you Malfoys would love to ring in the New Year Weasley-style. You can handle that, can't you Malfoy?"

Hermione, Astoria, and Hugo looked on the verge of laughter at the look on Draco's face.

"Actually," Draco began stiffly. "We were planning on celebrating with Astoria's sister and her family so I'm afraid–"

"Oh they can come too!" Hugo interrupted, smiling broadly. "I'm sure Damian would love to join us for New Years. Give him a chance to spend more quality bonding time with Lily and for James to smash his face in." Everybody looked at him in surprise. Hugo shrugged, "Great entertainment value for everyone."

"There you go Malfoy," said Ron, extending his hand towards Draco. "You up for it?"

Scorpius watched as his father tightened his jaw before giving an exasperated sigh and shaking Ron's hand. "Fine."

"Good," said Ron before wrapping a lanky arm around Hermione's shoulders. "We'll see you then."

"Yes. You will."

"Brilliant."

"Alright we should get going," Hermione said apologetically to Scorpius' family. "The whole family is having dinner tonight and we haven't seen Bill and Fleur in a while since they just took a trip to France. Bill is Ron's oldest brother– oh well, actually we'll introduce you to everyone on New Years. Lot of Weasleys to meet."

Scorpius heard his father groan quietly as his mum said goodbye to Rose's parents.

"Well," Rose said quietly to him. "That wasn't so bad. Plus, I'm looking forward to seeing your father at the Burrow surrounded by redheads."

He laughed softly, "Me too. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too," she smiled. "We can meet up sometime before New Years anyways."

"Yeah," he nodded. "We should." He kissed her softly. He heard Mr. Weasley give a rather loud cough before he pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers and twisting their fingers together. As they stood there, he heard Hugo speak up.

"Hello Mr. Malfoy. I'm Hugo, Rose's younger brother. Fourth year. Gryffindor. Chess champion and potions extraordinaire."

Both he and Rose turned to see Hugo shaking hands with Scorpius' father. Rose smirked proudly as she watched.

Draco nodded warily before saying, "You're going to be trouble. I can already tell."

"Yes," nodded Hugo seriously. "It runs in the family."

"Clearly," Draco snorted again. "The stuff your parents got away with… raising a baby dragon for one."

"What?" yelped Hugo in excitement. "A dragon? At Hogwarts? Mum! Dad! Why didn't you tell me? That's so wicked–"

It was Draco's turn to smirk as Ron hastily pulled Hugo away saying, "Yes well we didn't want you or James getting any ideas. You'd probably somehow convince Charlie to give you one and then soon McGonagall would be kicking you out of Hogwarts then lecturing us about it…"

As he trailed on, Rose shook her head in amusement before giving Scorpius another quick kiss. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah. Bye Rose," he smiled down at her.

"Bye," she said smiling back before she grabbed a still excited Hugo and Hermione grabbed her exasperated husband. The four of them made their way noisily across the platform.

"Merlin," his father exhaled as he watched them go. Astoria grinned in amusement and winked at Scorpius before shaking her head and linking her arm with her husband's.

"You sure about this, Scorpius?" his dad asked, looking at him.

"Yeah," Scorpius said, his eyes still on Rose's retreating figure. "I'm sure."


End file.
